A New Life
by Susan Popplewell
Summary: The Tracy family (set before International Rescue) move to New York City. Something seems to be wrong with Grandma Tracy. Please leave a review and tell whether I should continue.
1. Chapter 1

**THE TRACY NARRATIVES**

 _ **SET BEFORE INTERNATIONAL RESCUE**_

 **Episode 1: A New Life**

 **Chapter One**

Jeff and Eloise Tracy were moving with Jeff's mother, Sally, and their five children – Nora Tracy, Scott Tracy (they were twins), John Tracy, Virgil Tracy and Eloise Tracy Jr. Eloise Jr was just called Ellie to differentiate between her and her mother and was four years old.

Virgil was seven years old and followed in his mother's footsteps, i.e., Eloise loved music, especially the piano, and so did Virgil.

John was nine years old and loved space. If he had any spare time, he could be found reading about space, rockets or watching stuff on his laptop from NASA. He loved watching the Cassini satellite's mission and also had watched the Cassini's final many times.

Scott Tracy was twelve and the boss if none of his parents were around.

Nora Tracy was Scott's twin and apart from looking the same, they did not have that much in common. She was a proper little lady and loved writing poetry. The only person that was allowed to read her poetry was her twin brother, Scott.

"Virgil," said Ellie in the mini-van, "read." She held out a book to her big brother, Virgil. It was a nursery-rhyme book.

Virgil smiled. "Of course, Ellie," he consented and began reading.

"When are we going to get to our new home, Dad?" Scott asked. He hated waiting and wanted to get there as soon as possible.

"By the end of the day, I reckon," Jeff replied shortly. He did not like to be talking to much when he was driving. Eloise smiled to herself as she listened to her children in the mini-van. Nora was quietly talking to Sally about crochetes and the like. John, she was positive, was daydreaming about space. She grinned as she heard Virgil reading the _Wheels on the Bus_ rhyme to Ellie. But she was quietly concerned about her mother-in-law, Sally. She had decided to move with them as she did not want to be away from them at all and they had gladly agreed. But, something seemed to be wrong. Sally was tiring more easily, and also seemed to be gripping her sides for a few seconds in pain. But, Sally just brushed off all well-meant concerns and offers of help, saying she was just getting old. Eloise did not know if anyone else had noticed, and was silently concerned about what was happening.

Her mind drifted back to the day she married Jeff. Her parents had been rather dubious of the whole affair and had taken alot of persuasion to allow their daughter to marry the astronuat.

They had decided to move because Jeff's previous job took a turn for the worse when a new boss, Callum Fischler, had arrived. He was dishonest, did not pay the workers in time and took alot of phone calls before he would actually pay them anything. Also, he traded in their decent equipment for second-hand junk, had no real concern for safety and the living conditions swiftly became terrible. So Jeff quit and then he found out on the internet that a position was open at White's Aerospace in New York City. So he flew over, was interviewed, was chosen, secured a home for them, and was now moving over there with his family. Eloise and him and conducted numerous phone calls with one of the schools in Manhatten and had arranged for their children to go there once they became settled.

 **NEW YORK CITY**

After becoming lost by taking a wrong turn at Battery Park and ending up at the Plaza Hotel, they finally found their house and Jeff pulled up infront of the two-storey house. "This is our house, kids," Jeff said. They sat in the car looking at everything they could see of their house.

"It's beautiful," Sally complimented. "Look, Eloise! You and I can have a flower garden right in that lovely spot along the fence." _Plus, it will be good for me to get out in the sun, like the doctor recommended_ , she thought to herself. _How will I tell them?_

"Yes...yes, I think you're right, Sal! What do you think, Jeff?" Jeff simply unbuckled himself and stepped out of the vehicle.

"Come one, everybody! Time to get unpacking," he ordered. Everyone dutifully stepped out and Jeff climbed up onto the trailer, passing things to anyone of his family that was nearby and capable of taking it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own the Thunderbird characters in my story**

Eloise, Sally, and Nora carried the transportable freezer bags full of food and the boxes of kitchen stuff into the Kitchen and began unloading it all.

Nora opened the fridge and began putting the food away while Sally and Eloise sorted out the dishes. "I sure hope Dad's new job at White Aerospace goes well," Nora commented.

"I do, too, dear," Sally replied, stacking the plates in the corner cupboard.

Eloise glanced in the fridge at the food Nora had placed in there and then inspected the remaining freezer bags to be unloaded. They had taken two weeks to move from Wyoming to New York and they rapidly decreasing food supply showed that. "Oh, no! I'm going to have to go shopping! We're low on butter, milk, apples, cheese..." and she began making a mental list of all the things they needed to stock upon.

"Race you up the stairs!" Scott called up to John and Virgil as he raced up the stairs. John and Virgil ran up after him and did not realize that little Ellie was getting into a box full of Nora's China dolls. Scott won and picked the nearest room. "I pick this one!" he declared and threw his bags onto the bed and ran back down to help his father unload the furniture. Virgil and John selected their own rooms. After putting the bags on the beds, Virgil came into John's room and sat on the bed next to John.

"How do you like my room?" John asked his younger brother.

"It's great. Do you want to paint your walls?" Virgil replied. He was dreading what Ellie would demand on. Because Ellie was four and Virgil seven, they shared the same room. And he thought that, as usual, Ellie would be the one to select the colour of the walls and not budge – but as long as Virgil agreed, Jeff would paint it. If they could not agree, Jeff would pick a colour that would satisfy both.

"Nah. I was hoping to decorate my walls with pictures of space and such that Mom and Dad had allowed me to print up last year." John grinned at Virgil. "What about you?"

Virgil groaned and collapsed on the bed. "I hope she doesn't want pink again, like in our other house." He looked over at John who was laughing his head off. The rest of the family got a lot of free amusement from the Virgil-Ellie banters. "Between you and me, I still have nightmares about that dreadful pink! Ugh!" Then John's laughter was cut off by the sound of something crashing onto the floor.

 _Oh no!_ John thought as they jumped up and raced downstairs. _I was supposed to look after Ellie!_ They found Ellie. And next to Ellie was a broken China doll. "Oh, dear," John gasped. They went over to Ellie and began picking up the mess. "Ellie! You know better than to play with these," scolded John.

"What was that noise?" Nora's voice could be heard as she came closer to the room. Virgil and John scurried to pick up the rest of the pieces as Nora could have quite a temper on the rare occasions that she chose to break her proper lady habit and display it. Virgil threw the last of the pieces in a nearby bin that Scott had brought in and turned around...

To see Nora standing in the doorway, looking at the three of them with a slightly raised eyebrow. And Virgil knew she had seen what mess they had been cleaning up. "What happened to my doll?" she asked.

"Ah...Well...You see..." John stammered. He felt terrible as he was instructed by his mother that he needed to keep an eye on the littlest member and he had forgotten and as a result, Ellie had broken one of the China dolls. The China dolls had been a present for Nora on her's and Scott's birthday last year from her great-aunt on Eloise's side. The dolls had been in Eloise's side of the family for generations and Nora had taken great pains to take care of them.

"Ellie, were you playing with my dolls?" she asked sternly, coming over and began checking which of her dolls had been broken.

"Yeth," Ellie lisped. She sniffled. "I'm thorry I took her when I wathn't thupposed to."

"Why did you?"

"I had not been intending to break her. I only wanted to touch her, but she looked tho beautiful that I had to pick her up..." her voice trailed off as she saw the look on Nora's face. "I'll give you my teddy Furry to make up," she hastily offfered.

Nora tried not to smile as she knew Ellie did not really want to give up her beloved teddy bear, just wanted to make her older sister feel better. "No, you keep him. But thank you. Just make sure you do not touch my dolls again," and with that, Nora gave her younger sister a hug. After that, she stood up and looked at John. "Keep an eye on Ellie, please?" and she walked off back into the kitchen. Virgil sighed and went back outside to help while John led Ellie out the back door to play.


	3. Chapter 3 - Know Thine Enemy

**Chapter Three**

 **This is the last chapter. Sorry if this story is a bit dull. The next stories I put up on FanFiction will be a bit more interesting.**

After everything was moved into the house and put in it's right place, Jeff called the children together. "Now, what colour would you like me to paint your rooms?" Nora and Scott shared the same room as they were twins and had already agreed on a colour.

"Blue," Scott said.

"Alright." Jeff wrote it down in a notepad. He looked at John. "What about you, John?"

"None for me," he refused. Jeff raised his eyebrows and nodded. He then looked at Virgil and Ellie with an amused smile. Jeff knew an argument could possibly follow.

"And you two?"

Virgil took a deep breath. "Green," he said quickly. He glanced at Ellie, expecting the pouting "No!" But, to his surprise and relief, Ellie smiled.

"Yeth!" she lisped in agreement.

Everyone else was stunned. Virgil and Ellie had just agreed on something without an agrument! "Really?" Virgil said. _I won! Score one for me!_

Ellie nodded and then put a finger to her cheek and put on a dreaming expression. _Oh no..._

"With little theep, a Thun and clouds," she announced. Virgil looked at Jeff and nodded in agreement. He did not mind as long as there was no pink. Jeff smiled at her.

"Green, white, and black. We'll see about the Sun and clouds, though." He scribbled down on the paper. "Anything else?"

"Jeff, what do you think about orange for our room? Not bright orange, but sort of dulled. Like a sunset," Eloise said with her creative, imaginative and artistit's gleam in her eye. Jeff smiled at his wife, who was always looking for ways to brighten things up.

"That would be nice," he agreed, kissing her on the cheek. "Mom? Want anything?" he turned to Sally, his mother.

"No, thank you. I'm quite happy with my room the way it is," Sally politely declined. Jeff noticed she grabbed the side of her stomach suddenly and took in a sharp intake of breath. _I must talk with Mom later_ , he decided.

"Oh, Jeff," Eloise remembered. "Here is an extra list of food we need." She gave him the list.

"Right. I'll get them all today. In fact, I'll go now." And Jeff stood up, put the list in his trouser pocket, kissed Eloise and the family goodbye, hopped in the car and left. He drove to a paint store first and bought the colours they wanted. He then drove over to the local food store. It was run by a man and his wife – Quint and Karen Fisher. Both were behind the counter. Jeff went through the store and bought the cheese, milk, apples, butter and wholemeal bread and then went to the counter.

"Good afternoon, Mr Fisher," Jeff greeted as Quint scanned the items through the check-out. "Mrs Fisher." he nodded at Karen.

"Mr Tracy," Karen nodded briefly. Jeff had met Quint and Karen when he first traveled to New York City for the interview and he and Quint had become friends. Karen's and Jeff's relationship status was still pending.

Quint finished adding up the price. "Alright. That will be $49.44, thank you," Quint said. Jeff paid it and was putting everything into a shopping trolley to take back out to his mini-van when Karen decided to talk.

"You have children, don't you?" she asked him.

"Yep. Five. Three boys and two girls," Jeff replied.

"I expect you'll be entering them in school soon," Karen said. The way she said it prickled Jeff.

"That's right," he said, on guard. _What's she getting at?_

"Well, I'll expect you'll get a few visits with the principal. New children always misbehave when they first enter school," Karen commented. Quint whispered "Karen!" in a scolding tone.

"I'm sure your's did, Mrs Fisher. Good day!" and with that, Jeff walked off in a huff. As he drove back home, he decided that he would avoid his enemy, Mrs Fisher, as much as possible.


End file.
